Thin Walls
by UranusLovesNeptune
Summary: Michiru, who lives one dorm over from Haruka's, loves to practice her violin late at night. Sure, it keeps Haruka up late but she loves it, finally memorizing the lyrics and gathering her courage to sing.


**The songs played are Senshi no Omoi (Feelings of a Soldier) and Ai Dake ga Dekiru Koto (What Only Love Can Do) from the character song collections. Sorry if the writing is crappy, I wrote this on a whim late at night. The title is worse... If anybody had any suggestions, feedback is always welcome! And this song nor Sailor Moon belongs to me. If it did, the show would be starring Haruka and Michiru from the start.**

Every night, at exactly 11:45 she practices her violin. It used to keep me up, distract me from the homework and undeserved rest, yet now I recognize her schedule, every song that is soon to be played and the timing as well. Now, I anticipate that precise moment when she strokes the bow across the gently vibrating strings, producing notes that not even an angel's voice could do justice. In fact, I will rest my abused at fingers that had been working so diligently on work, close my eyes and wait for the second that the heavenly melody fills me up.

The only problem is… well, there are several problems with this. The first one being is that we are separated by an eight-inch wall. I live only a dorm away from hers, only a couple feet away yet that eight inches are enough to keep us apart for eternity. Plus it's the music I love, right? The wall doesn't affect the tone of the song, clear as if I was standing right next to her. But anybody who could create such notes with only a strip of wood and strings had to be some sort of a goddess. Well, that's what my mind convinced me of anyway. But the way the notes rolled like the thrashing waters of the sea- calming, yet so wild at the same time. She was a siren, music drifting to my ears on a zephyr, allowing my mind to pass into a stupor that could only stop when the song did.

And too often it did.

I scoured the internet after every one of her sessions, searching and searching. But how was one to search for such a beautiful song amongst the vast clutter that was the internet? After going through the entire 62 pages of what one site deemed 'classic violin compositions' until my ears bled- I finally stumbled upon something similar. On a badly formatted blog, a link connected to a Youtuber's profile that seemed to be compiling a soundtrack of rarely heard violin pieces. Before my mind could comprehend it, I knew that this was the one. The description gave no source, yet one pen name credit was listed- Neptune.

11:40…

11: 42…

11:43…

11:44…

11:45.

I let the ballpoint pen roll from my fingers, opening the laptop to the site that held some form of badly translated lyrics for the song. What Only Love Can Do. From the other side, the faint sounds of tuning could be heard, strings being plucked lightly before pausing- then it started. It started off slow, the music repeating the high-pitched chord to imitate the gentle tinkling of a bell, swooping into the next section which was lower. Images appeared in my mind as I closed my eyes, a tempest with writhing waves licking through the pounding sheets of air that beat of the surface of the sea. Drowning where nobody could reach, the tendrils of water seeping into your lungs and dragging you down into the silent comforts of death. A wind that could never be stopped, never altered from its whip against raw skin that shreds flesh with a single swipe of its claws. The song told of pain and a suffering that transcends the bite of a knife, a pulsing heart ripped from the threads of blood, straight from your chest, yet the pain refuses to retreat even past death's impenetrable gates.

Then I woke up.

The fierce notes came to a stop, sending my brain into a disorganized flurry of reality. My ears were so empty without the spiraling melody of the sea- so very alone. Groggily, I scrolled through the makeshift soundtrack I had compiled, listing the lyrics for the song I knew to come next- Fate So Beautifully. This piece was one of my favorites- the lyrics striking something close to my heart.

And she began.

It was a softer song, more drawn out than the others. Yet it was the type that I could imagine running to the beat of, or even fighting. A soft yet powerful tune that conveyed feelings beyond average- suffering, the loss of love, the throes of death, all mixed into this mournfully repetitive melody- sending me into a world of my own.

I don't know what possessed me, it was hardly a conscious thought that resided within. I began to sing.

"When I first gazed at you, the scent of wind filled the air

That troubled face so often worn"

Singing was not a strong nor prominent talent of mine- the last time I remember truly singing on my own was when my mother forced me to practice karaoke like the other girls at a party. That was at least eleven years ago. Sure, there had been times since then, humming along to a familiar song, mouthing the lyrics from a television theme…

The music stopped mid-note, halting in before the segment was over. My eyes widened until they stung, blood rushing and pounding through my veins with the speed of a taiko drum.

What the actual hell.

I cringed, face burning painfully with a fire that embarrassment had ignited. My legs moved on their own accord, traveling to the other side of the room where I silently banged my head against the plaster. Pressing my hands against the wall, I tried to get as far away from her side of the room as possible- erasing the memory from my mind, self-assurances doing nothing to forget how she had paused in response.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit hit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.

This… Neptune… this siren, angel, genius, and probably some kind of goddess- and I had to go on and-

Surprisingly, banging my head against the wall did not seem to help.

Suddenly, very faintly, I could hear her begin again. Slower, softer, the fingers of music probing through my brain so gently. I had already memorized the next line, yet refused to sing. Neptune… or whoever was so tenderly caressed the bow across the strings stopped when it reached the end of the cadence, drawing out the line as if in wait. Then it dawned on me like a knife blade to the chest- she wanted me to sing.

I cursed under my breath, staggering over to the laptop to skim over the lyrics once again. There was no way I was doing this, and yet when the phrase began, I felt my parched lips separate, forcing out late notes that marred her masterpiece.

"We were called to meet by a strange force, I had been searching below the spacious sky for your storming eyes."

I swallowed, running my tongue over my teeth in nervousness. She moved closer, the song growing louder and clearer as she approached. The next line began, calming my frenzied mind with the swelling of each note.

"A fate so beautiful

Makes my tears shine brilliantly

Painful memories that I may keep

No longer running from destiny."

Near the end, the pace started to build up again, my voice snagging to each note like burrs on silk. I hated it. Cursing myself under every pause, clenching my fists until knuckles grew white, lungs begging for air though I continued.

"The fingertip I reached out to you is becoming dyed in the color of night

A distant dream of waking up in a raging hurricane will someday come true

Believing in everything that I have chosen is the power to change tomorrow."

I cringed at the last line, my voice surging as it got caught up in the song, nearly hitting the right note. There was a distant chuckle from the other room and I ground my teeth, waiting for the reprise to begin. When it did, I seemed to have found the tempo, finding a comfortable place for my brusque voice to resonate with her elegant notes. Corners of my mouth stretching, I found myself smiling, hesitant steps drawing me closer to the wall from which she played.

"Because this fate so magnificent

Makes my skin shine brilliantly

Whatever sadness may arrive

I will not be-"

Another voice, young and silvery, filled with mild amusement as if holding back a smile. Her voice. She was… singing along. Closing my eyes, I pressed my ear against the wall in attempt to absorb the ethereal music that she emitted. Oh, how I wanted to fall into a world less humanly that her song spoke of, bleed into the wall until there is nothing but the notes, nothing but her to catch my fall.

Upon realization that I had stopped singing, so did she. Yet after a couple agonizing seconds of silence where only my heaving breaths could be heard, the quickening of my pulse even audible from the other side, she continued. And so did I.

"Never again will I be hurt

As long as you are with me."

Our voices surfaced over even the rhythmic sawing of the violin, mine- reverberating yet pronounced, hers- buoyant and expressive. From what I could tell beyond the stupor, it was pretty damn beautiful.

"A fate so beautiful

Makes my tears shine brilliantly

Painful memories that I may keep

No longer running from destiny."

This was the point that she put down the violin. But I didn't notice till later. Our voices strung together, so deeply entwined that I couldn't stop even if attempted. Her own grew more powerful to the point that we were equal volume, pretty much belting our hearts out to one another from different dorms. Stupid, I know.

Yet I loved it.

"Whatever sadness may come toward me

I will not be hurt again if I have you with me"

We were both pressing our bodies into the wall. I could feel the lack of vibration through it. Maybe it was my imagination, but warmth seemed to radiate from where she stood, beyond the wood, plaster, and paint.

"If I have you with me… "

"If I have you with me…"

Silence, silence, silence.

I opened my eyes, allowing the light to flood into my enlarged pupils until it stung. Sucking in a breath, I peeled my cheek from the splotchy plaster that was still sticky with sweat, jerking away quickly before she could feel the thundering of my heart through the wall.

What had I just done?

I could tell she was still there, just waiting, as I was, for something that neither of us knew. No matter how hard I backed away, clutching my head with fingernails biting tiny crescent imprints into the meshy flesh of my palm, I could not erase the humiliating memory. I was supposed to be the sexy, butch lesbian who could kick ass with a single look, athletic and invincible, picking up dates with girls faster than anybody in the school. I wasn't some dork who just decided to sing a song with a person I don't know through a wall.

"Excuse me? You have a lovely voice." She prompted with a modulated tone, clear as if she were standing right next to me, proving the theory that she was leaned against the wall.

"Uh…" I stuttered, running fingers through my wave of sandy blonde hair in nervousness. Composing myself, I managed to sidle closer and lean my head against the wall to where my lips brushed against the chalky paint. "Maybe so, but it did not serve your violin composition justice. I've been listening to your music for quite a while."

"And I yours."

I sat up, gaze skirting to the side in bewilderment.

"Excuse me?" I managed breathily, confusion a bit too prominent for my taste.

"Piano. I loved your playing. It reminded me of the wind." Her chuckle caught me off guard, not laughing at her own words or the situation, but rather the silence that followed. "Thin walls, huh?"

There was a moment of silence- except for a faint inhale from the other side. Mustering the huskiest, smokiest voice that has ever vibrated within my throat, I waited for the moment where all girls fall into a blushing mess at my feet. "Tenoh Haruka. May I ask _your_ name?"

She sounded less than impressed, amused if anything.

"Kaioh Michiru." The girl intoned, catching me off guard with the confident and orotund tone that she retained. "If it's true that we've been stalking each other so long, maybe we should find somewhere where...a wall isn't."

"Courtyard at eight."

"Fantastic. Also, whenever you decide to strike those piano keys again, It would be such a gift to hear you play again."


End file.
